Southern California -- this just in

Man pleads guilty to killing his parents and teenage sister in Northridge

May 12, 2011 | 3:21
pm

A man who authorities said murdered his parents and teenage sister at their Northridge home almost five years ago admitted Thursday that he committed the crimes, officials in the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office said.

Brandon Christopher Menard, 25, pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree murder, prosecutors said. He also admitted to a “special circumstance allegation of multiple murders” and an allegation that he used a firearm in causing the death of his father, according to a statement from the district attorney's office.

Prosecutors said Menard’s 58-year-old father David, a real estate agent, and his wife Toni, 58, a nurse, were found dead inside the family home in the 17000 block of Stare Street in Northridge in August 2006. Their 16-year-old daughter, Ashley, a high school student, was found dead in the back yard.

Authorities said the three victims had been stabbed “multiple times.” The father had also been shot.

Following the slayings, Menard -- a store clerk and student -- called the police to report that he had found the bodies, the Los Angeles Times reported at the time. He was arrested after being questioned for several hours by investigators.

Prosecutors said Menard is scheduled to be sentenced on June 2. He faces three consecutive sentences of life in prison without parole, in addition to a term of 25 years to life, prosecutors said.